South Texas Jamón Chowder
Total Prep Time: 1 hr.
Total Cook time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Yield: 12
Ingredients:
· 2 lbs Smoked Ham, cut into ½ inch cubes. Boneless ham hocks or leftover pulled pork are a great substitute. Pro Tip: Adding the bone from ham or pork butt into the soup while it cooks adds flavor!
· 6 medium sized potatoes (Russet or White potatoes both work well) skinned, and cut into ½ inch cubes. Soak in a large bowl of water for 30 minutes and drain well before cooking to remove some of the starch.
· 1 medium sized sweet onion, chopped.
· 3 large carrots, skinned and chopped.
· 1 roasted Poblano pepper, chopped, after skinned and seeds removed.
· 6 cloves of Garlic, fine chopped.
· 1 leek; cut off the base (root) and cut off the green stalk. Cut leek in half down the middle, rinse well under water to remove any dirt and fine chop.
· 1 Cup of chopped fresh parsley
· 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, fine chopped
· 4 Bay leaves
· 4 Tbsp. of Meat Church Garlic & Herb Seasoning (your favorite Herb based seasoning is a good substitute)
· 1 – 32 oz. container of unsalted Chicken Broth
· 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
· 4 Tbsp. Butter
Process:
Step 1: In a large shallow pot set to medium heat, brown ham for 5 – 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Step 2: Add butter, onion, carrot, leek, seasoning and stir together. Sauté for 10 minutes and then add garlic, herbs, poblano pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add ham, potatoes, chicken broth, cream and Bay leaves, reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook for another 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Add salt to taste.
Step 4: Remove from heat, serve with our Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Muffins and enjoy!